


On The Other Side

by Crowleys_Squirrel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 15:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6382150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crowleys_Squirrel/pseuds/Crowleys_Squirrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Mary had lived and John had died the night of November 2nd, 1983? Would it really change the Winchester family destiny? Does it really matter who raised them, or were Sam and Dean destined to be hunters no matter what? This story explores just that.</p>
<p>All rights for characters and original plot line go to the creators of Supernatural, the rest of this story is purely what I came up with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Past

**Author's note**  
One night, I started thinking, what would of happened if Mary had lived and raised Sam and Dean instead of John.. Would they've still turned out as hunters? Would Sam and Jess get married and have a happy life together? Would Dean still love the Impala as much as he does now? Would Dean settle down with someone, maybe Lisa and Ben, and live a normal apple pie life? Then I began writing this story and at first it was just going to be a one shot, but after taking the idea and formulating a story around it, I decided it deserved its own story. This is the result. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

*One night in 1973*  
John Winchester and Mary Campbell sat inside John's '67 Chevy Impala talking by the river.  
"I guess it's no secret why I brought you way out here."  
"John -"  
"I just - just let me get through this, okay?"  
"Okay, wait. There's things you don't know about me, John."  
"So?"  
John opened the ring box and showed it to her.   
"I will always love you for exactly who you are."  
There is a bang at the window.  
"What did I tell you?!"  
"Dad!"  
"Sir, just listen!"  
Samuel pulled Mary out of the car and John got out on the other side.   
"Ow! Dad! You're hurting me!"  
John ran over and tried to pull Samuel off Mary.   
"Hey, take it easy!"  
Samuel grabbed Mary's head and wrenched it sideways, breaking her neck and killing her instantly.  
"No!"  
Mary fell to the ground and John dropped to his knees to cradle her. Samuel kicked her legs.  
"You killed her.."  
"Oh, not just Mary. Her Mommy and Daddy too."  
Samuel, or whatever was in Samuel, unzipped his jacket to show John the knife wound in Samuel's stomach.  
"No..."  
"Yup, afraid so. You even led me right to them."  
"You son of a bitch!"  
"Oh, sticks and stones may break my bones, and they won't bring her.. or her family back."  
"I'll kill you, I swear to God."  
"Oh, let's not get nasty."  
Samuel sat down next to John.   
"Now look, we both said some things that we regret. Let's, um... kiss and make up."  
John cried as he held Mary closer to him.  
"I'll tell you what, I'll arrange to have your girl here brought back breathing."  
"Her parents too?"  
"Nope, sorry, that's not on the table. But, think about it, you could be done with hunting forever. The white picket fence, station wagon, couple of kids, no more monsters or fear. I'll make sure of it."  
"What? And all it costs is my soul?"  
"Oh, no, you can keep your soul, I just need permission."  
"For what?"  
"Mmm, in ten years I need to swing by your house for a little something, that's all."  
"For what?!"  
"Relax. As long as I'm not interrupted, nobody gets hurt, I promise. Or you can spend the rest of your life, desperate and alone."  
John was sniffling back sobs.  
"John? It's a good deal. So what do you say?"  
He agreed, they sealed the deal, and black smoke flew from Samuel's mouth. Mary came back to life.  
"John?"  
"Mary."  
Mary embraced him tightly and didn't question her father's lifeless body sitting in front of them.

*Night of November 2nd, 1983*  
Mary Winchester, wearing a white nightgown, carried her four year old son, Dean, into a dark room.  
"Come on, let's say good night to your brother."  
Mary turned on the lights illuminating the nursery of 6 month old Sam, who was laying in his crib and looking over at Mary and Dean. Dean leaned over the side of the crib and kissed Sam on the forehead.  
"'Night, Sam."  
Mary leaned over Sam as well.  
"Good night, love."  
Mary brushed Sam's hair back and kissed his forehead.  
"Hey, Dean."  
Dean turned to see John in the doorway wearing a USMC t-shirt. Dean rushed over to him.  
"Daddy!"  
"Hey, buddy."  
John scooped Dean up.  
"So what do you think? You think Sammy's ready to toss around a football yet?"  
Dean shook his head, laughing.  
"No, Daddy."  
John laughed.  
"You're right."  
Mary passed John and Dean on the way out of the room.  
"You got him?"  
"I got him."  
John hugged Dean closer.  
"Sweet dreams, Sam."  
John carried Dean out of the room, flipping off the lights. Sam watched them go, gurgling, then tried to reach his toes.  
The baseball-themed mobile above Sam's crib began to spin on its own while Sam watched. The transportation-themed clock on the wall ticked, ticked, stopped. The moon-shaped nightlight flickered.  
Lights flickered on the baby monitor sitting on a nightstand next to a photo of Mary and John. Strange noises came through the monitor. John, asleep in bed, stirred. He turned on the light on the nightstand.  
"Mary?"  
John turned, he was alone.  
John, half asleep, walked down the hall to Sam's nursery. Mary's silhouette was standing over Sam's crib.  
"Mary? Is he hungry?"  
"Shhh."  
"All right."  
John headed back down the hallway. The light by the stairs was flickering and John frowned. He went to tap at it and the light steadied.  
"Hm."  
More flickering light was coming from downstairs so John investigated. An infomercial was on tv and Mary had fallen asleep watching it. If Mary was here, John realized, then the silhouette upstairs could not be Mary and might be a danger. He ran back upstairs.  
"Sammy! Sammy!"  
John entered Sam's nursery and stopped short.  
Mary woke up to John's scream from upstairs.  
"John?"  
She scrambled out of the chair.  
"John!"  
Mary ran upstairs as quickly as she could.  
She burst through the closed door of the nursery.  
"John?"  
The room was quiet and appeared empty except for Sam, who was awake in his crib, and Mary. She glanced around and pushed down the side of Sam's crib.  
"Hey, Sammy. You okay?"  
Something dark dripped next to Sam and Mary touched it. Two more drops landed on the back of her hand. It looked like blood. She looked up to find that John was sprawled across the ceiling, the stomach of his USMC t-shirt was red with blood, staring at her and struggling to breathe. She collapsed onto the floor, staring at him.  
"No! John!"  
John burst into flame. The fire rapidly spread over the ceiling. She stared, frozen. Sam wailed. Mary, reminded that she was not alone, got up and scooped Sam out of his crib and rushed out of the room.  
Dean was awake and coming to see what the commotion was.  
"Mommy!"  
Mary shoved Sam at Dean.  
"Take your brother outside as fast as you can and don't look back! Now, Dean, go!"  
Dean turned and ran. Mary turned back to the nursery. From the corner of the room, two yellow eyes flashed at her and then disappeared, her eyes quickly darted back to John.  
"John!"  
The entire room was on fire. John himself could barely even be seen.  
"No!"  
Dean ran outside, holding Sam.  
"It's okay, Sammy."  
Dean turned to look up at Sam's window, which was glowing gold.  
Mary ran outside, scooped up Dean and Sam, and carried them both away.  
"I gotcha."  
Fire exploded out of Sam's nursery window.

*Later That Night*  
The Lawrence fire department finally arrived. They wasted no time in getting hoses and spraying through Sam's nursery window to try and put the flames out. There was a police officer waving some neighbors away from the house.  
"Stay back. You have to stay back."  
Across the street, Mary and Dean sat on the hood of John's Impala, Mary holding Sam. Mary looked up at the remnants of the fire, teary-eyed. She could faintly hear the firefighters and paramedics talking about getting John's body uncovered and out of the house. She shivered at the thought of having to see him now. She swore to herself that even though something unnatural had just killed her husband, she couldn't let herself drag the boys into the hunter lifestyle, even to avenge their father's death. Instead she'd wait to track down the yellow eyes that would haunt her from now on.


	2. Lawrence

*Twelve Years Later*  
Sam, Dean, and Mary lived a seemingly normal life. Sam did really well in school, brought home straight A's every year. Dean was into football and cars, got the impala fixed up just in time to start driving himself to school for his junior year. He hated that place, but to make his mom happy he got by with decent grades, B's and C's mostly, but he was on track to graduate next year and that's what counted. He wanted to be a mechanic, just like his dad, and carry on the family business. Sam, on the other hand, wanted to be a lawyer. He never really got into cars, even when Dean tried his hardest to teach him stuff, Sam would only grow bored and Dean would wind up letting him go back to his books. Dean wished he could be as smart as his little brother, but he would rather be street smart and able to watch out for Sammy than be book smart and take the chance of losing him. Dean had taken it upon himself to watch out for Sam, even though his mom had done her hardest to always be there for them. Though, now that Dean was 16 and Sammy was 12, Mary figured they'd be okay on their own every now and then. She had gotten in touch with one of John's old friends, Bobby, and began tracking the thing that had killed John. She wasn't happy that she had lost twelve years worth of a trail, but knew it was worth it for the sake of the boys. She saw the way Dean watched over Sammy ever since John died, it broke her heart to know that as an eight year old he was already prepared to die for his brother. That wasn't right. She knew Dean had seen some of the pages in her journal where she logged all the strange happenings she had tracked down over the years. He knew about things normal kids didn't even know existed and that wasn't fair to him. Mary planned on driving up to Sioux Falls this week to get Bobby's help and maybe even track down the yellow eyed murderer that took away her husband. She tucked Sammy into bed, kissing him on the forehead and telling him she loved him, and then called Dean into the kitchen.  
"Mom?"  
"Dean, sit. We.. I mean I need to go on a trip for work.. No, not work.. For -"  
"Mom, just go. I can watch over Sammy for awhile, it's no big deal."  
Mary gave him a weak smile and squeezed his hand.  
"I'm sorr-"  
"Don't worry about it Mom. We'll be fine."  
"I left my card on the counter, don't go overboard, but use it whenever you need to. Make sure you both get to school on time, get all your homework done, and don't stay up too late."  
She stood up from the table, Dean followed suit. She pulled him into a hug.  
"I love you, Dean."  
"I love you too Mom."  
She couldn't bring herself to let go of him. What if she didn't come back? What if she fails and something comes after the boys and she's not here to protect them? Dean could tell something was off and, muffled into Mary's shoulder, Dean spoke.  
"Mom, Sam and I will be fine. I'll make sure of it. We'll be right here when you get back, I promise."  
She steadied herself and quickly let go and turned to exit the room so Dean wouldn't see her upset. He listened as she grabbed her bag, closed the front door behind her, pulled out of the driveway and left down the street. The house was eerily quiet and he went straight to his mother's room where there was a safe. He guessed the combination, his dad's birthday, and eased the lid open to pull out the hand gun. Just in case. He hid it under his pillow as he collapsed onto his bed. He looked over at his sleeping little brother and resigned himself to not sleeping tonight. Instead, he stared at the ceiling, deciding how far he'd be willing to go for Sammy's sake. He already knew the answer, but it was something to think about, which was better than thinking about his mom. His mind eventually wandered there anyway and he started to breakdown. He couldn't think of life without Mary. He noticed the room was starting to get brighter due to the sun coming up and decided to go attempt to make breakfast for Sam. Sam woke to the smell of burnt bacon and eggs. He slowly dragged himself into the kitchen and saw Dean, wearing pj pants and one of Dad's old shirts, at the stove cursing the food. He cursed again as he tossed the food in the trash can and looked mortified when he realized Sam was there. Sam couldn't help but laugh as he went into the pantry, grabbing a box of cereal and a bowl from the cupboard. As he sat down, he looked up at his big brother and asked where mom was. Dean, who just realized he hadn't planned out what he was gonna tell Sam, stammered for a second before quickly recovering.  
"She had to go on a trip for work."  
"Didn't Mom lose her job last month though?"  
"How did you know about that?"  
"I'm not stupid."  
"I know you're not. She just got a job, but she has to travel a lot now so she won't be home as often."  
"Oh.."  
Dean watched Sam's face drop at the thought of Mary being gone for unknown amounts of time.  
"Why didn't she say goodbye to me?"  
"She was supposed to leave this morning, that way she could see you before going, but she got a call and had to leave last night."  
His face fell again and it was tearing Dean apart.  
"I'm sorry Sammy.."  
Sam finished his cereal, washed his bowl out in the sink and then disappeared back down the hall.  
*A Year Later*  
Dean had failed most of his classes junior year and was told, by the councilor, that he'd be held back. Dean didn't want to deal with it so he dropped out. Neither him or Sam had seen Mary in over a month; Sammy talked to her once every week or two, Dean talked to her once. And that one phone call was about money. He had used up the card she'd left them last year, since she never replenished it, and was going into his money. He had even started to sell his own things. She couldn't get any more to him because she didn't have any to give. She confided in him that she'd been bouncing from motel to motel using false names and cards. He hung up on her out of pure frustration. He got a couple jobs in order to put food on the table for Sam and he soon realized that still wasn't enough to get them by, especially in this big house. Someone came to the door one late afternoon while Sam was still at school and when Dean answered, the man told him the bank was taking the house. He didn't know what to do and when he tried calling Mary, the phone went straight to voicemail. Dean decided to sell all his things, except things that he'd gotten from his dad, pack all of his mom's crap and Sammy's stuff and shoved it into the trunk of the impala. He talked to a few neighbors and none of them could lend a helping hand and the only person he could think of to go to was Bobby. He called Bobby, but couldn't get a response. He cursed and threw the phone across the living room. He was on his own. When Sam got home he found the house completely empty except for Dean, who was leaning against the wall asleep. He went and shook his older brother awake and then started asking questions. Dean didn't know how to answer any of them, which made him feel utterly helpless and useless, so he turned away from Sam completely. Sam tugged on his jacket, making Dean look at him.  
"Dean, where's all our stuff?"


	3. Sioux Falls

"I sold all of our furniture. Your stuff and Mom's stuff is in the car."  
"Why?"  
"Because we have to move."  
"Is Mom coming too?"  
"Yeah, but in her own time. We can't stay at the house anymore."  
"Why?"  
"Because we just can't. Grab your bag, we need to get going."  
"Where are we going?"  
"Away."  
"But what about sch-"  
"Dammit Sam, stop asking questions and just do what I say."  
"Okay.."  
"Look Sammy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. What did you want to ask?"  
"It's nothing."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Mhm."  
"Okay.."  
'Well now I feel like a complete ass. Great.' Is all that went through Dean's head as he led Sam out of the house and locked the door behind him. He slid the key under the mat and got into the impala. They sat in silence for about an hour before Dean finally flipped the music on. He started drumming to the beat of Back In Black on the steering wheel when Sam finally spoke.  
"Where are we going?"  
"Like I said, away."  
"But away where?"  
"We're going to try and stay with Bobby for a little while."  
"Does that mean I'm switching schools?"  
"Unfortunately, yes."  
"Oh. Okay."  
And with that he went back to staring out the window, not speaking.  
"Hey Sammy?"  
"Hm?"  
"I'm sorry about this."  
"Yeah, I know."  
"Maybe you'll make new friends in Sioux Falls."  
"Maybe.."  
Sam looked out the window again and decided he was gonna try his hardest not to get attached to anyone from now on. He didn't want to have anyone up and leave without a word, he knew the feeling and didn't want it happening to anyone else if he could help it.  
The next three and a half hours seemed to fly by. Sammy had fallen asleep at some point, but woke up soon after they passed the 'Welcome to Sioux Falls' sign. Dean didn't remember where exactly Bobby lived, but soon caught a glimpse of his place and found it. He got out and knocked on Bobby's door, there was no response and right as he went to knock again, Bobby answered.  
"Hiya Dean."  
"Hi. Did you get my message?"  
"The one about you needing a place to stay?"  
"Yeah."  
"Yeah I got it. Where's your brother?"  
"Sam's in the car, I don't think he's too pleased with me right now. You can try to coax him out if you want."  
"What happened?"  
"Well he came home from school to an empty house, all our stuff was packed into the car, and then I take him away from everything he's ever known without a clear explanation. I also can't give him clear answers about Mom or really anything."  
"Okay. Well let's go grab your stuff and I'll see what I can do about Sam. Hey Dean?"  
"Hm?"  
"Where's all your stuff?   
"It's just the one duffle bag."  
"That's it? Really?"  
"Yeah, that's it now."  
"Dean-"  
"Let's not talk about it, okay?"  
"Okay."  
They hauled Dean's duffle bag and Sam's stuff into the house and put them upstairs. While Bobby went to get Sam, Dean pulled a beer out of Bobby's fridge. He popped the cap off and took his first swig when from behind him he heard Bobby.  
"What the hell do you think your doing?!"  
"It's just one."  
"Really? Boy, don't be an idjit."  
"Can't you make an exception just this once?"  
"No. Your mother would kill me if she found out I let you drink."  
"How would she find out?"  
"The answer's no, Dean."  
He put the drink down on the counter and plopped down in a chair. Sam came into the room and started looking at all of the books. He looked at Dean slightly mortified and mouthed 'what the hell are these?' while pointing at a book about demons that was sitting on the table. Dean couldn't help but laugh which led to Bobby's attention being drawn to them.  
"What are you laughing about? Why do you look horrified Sam?"  
"What is this?" Sam asked innocently as he lifted the book so Bobby could see.  
"Oh, that's nothing of real importance."  
"Why does it have the ritual to exorcise a demon then?"  
"It's like a history book, except its more religious. I was curious about how people did things in the past and so I picked up that book and found it interesting."  
"Do demons really exist?"  
"Hey Sammy, wanna play catch?"  
"Do they?"  
"Why don't you and Dean go play catch outside and I'll try to get a hold of your mom."  
"I don't want to play catch."  
Sam stood and went upstairs since he was frustrated that they wouldn't answer his question. He flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling thinking.  
"Why can't they just answer the question?! I know something's not right and I can get Dean not telling me, but Bobby too? I'm not a little kid anymore, I can deal with stuff now. Ugh." Sam mumbled to himself.  
Dean had come to talk to him, but stopped short when he heard him talking. He felt bad and knocked on the door.  
"Who is it?" Sam said in a irritated tone.  
"It's me."  
"Go away, Dean."  
"Can I talk to you for a second?"  
"No."  
He pushed the door open anyway and sat down on the floor, opposite of the bed.  
"I'm sorry we weren't giving you straight answers-"  
"Yeah right."  
"It's just that we don't want you getting sucked into a certain lifestyle."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, we don't want you getting sucked into a lifestyle like Mom's."  
"Why not? She's just traveling for work right?"  
"Yeah-"  
"Or was that a lie too?"  
"It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the complete truth either. Mom would probably kill me if I told you this, but you deserve to know." Dean paused.  
"Know what?"  
"The night Dad died something weird happened. Something Mom's been haunted by for the past thirteen years. Something killed Dad, something unnatural, and Mom's been protecting us as we grew up. And when she left last year, it wasn't for a new job, per se, it was to track down whatever it was that killed Dad. Mom's a hunter."  
"Like someone who hunts birds and dear and stuff?"  
"Sort of. Remember how I was watching a couple horror movies with vampires, werewolves, and witches late one night?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Mom hunts things like that."  
"I didn't know those things actually existed.."  
"They do and there's more than just those too. There are a bunch of monsters out in the world."  
"Is Bobby a hunter too?"  
"Yes, there's quite a few hunters in the world, but not all of them work well with others."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean they can't all be trusted."  
"Oh.. But Bobby can?"  
"Yeah, he was friends with Dad for years."  
"Was Dad a hunter?"  
"I don't know. Mom never really talked about him growing up."  
"Couldn't you also ask Bobby?"  
"Dad's kind of a touchy subject with everyone."  
"I know, but I never got the chance to be with him.. I want to know what he was like."  
"He was funny, caring, loved playing ball and fixing up cars.."  
"Is that why you love the Impala so much?"  
"Yeah, I knew when Mom first showed it to me 9 years ago that I wanted to fix her up and keep her. It's something that makes me feel connected to him."  
"I wish I'd gotten to know him."  
"I know Sammy, I'm sorry you didn't."  
"Can we still go play catch?"  
"Of course! Let's go."  
Now that the chick flick moment had ended, Dean was excited to be in Sam's presence. Bobby took them to a nearby park so they could all play. Mary showed up at Bobby's to find the Impala, but no boys, and no Bobby. She began freaking out. The boys came home an hour or two later to find Mary hysterically pacing the hallway. She hugged Sam very tightly and pulled Dean in near the end. When Mary started to question them Bobby stepped in and told her to stop. Dean wasn't very happy with her and she wasn't very happy with him. Everyone could feel the tension and when Sam finally went off to bed, they decided to set in to each other.  
"Didn't you say you'd be right there when I got back?! Wasn't that always your promise?!"  
"Yeah, but when someone from the bank shows up and tells you, a seventeen year old who's been watching over his thirteen year old brother for the past year, that they're taking the house, you kind of panic. What was I supposed to do?"  
"Get a hold of me. That's what you do!"  
"I tried that! Multiple times even. I even called Bobby, but he didn't answer so I made a decision."  
"It wasn't your decision to make."  
"Really? Who's was it to make then? I couldn't get a hold of you. I know you're trying to find whatever killed Dad, but last time I checked you left me in charge."  
"That doesn't mean you get to make the decision to sell all our stuff and leave the house."  
"Yeah, it kinda does. So we lost the house? Big deal. We still have all of your stuff, Dad's stuff, and Sam's stuff. And that's what counts, right?"  
"What about your stuff?"  
"I sold most of it. I had to make ends meet and three jobs weren't enough so that seemed like the next logical and legal move."  
Bobby looked at Dean shocked. At that moment he realized why Dean had only brought one duffle bag, he did it to care for his brother.  
"What do you mean making ends meet?" Mary asked, slightly confused.  
"I mean, we ran out of food, the electricity and water got turned off, Sam needed new shoes because his last pair fell apart, Sam needed food. I could go on if you'd like."  
"I left you money though."  
"Yeah, that lasted about six months."  
"Well I didn't think-"   
"Did you make any progress with the hunt?" Dean said to change the subject.  
"Yeah, but not much."  
"Can I help?"  
"No. You need to finish school."  
"I dropped out." Dean said, wincing.  
"Dean!"  
"How was I supposed to keep up with school when I was working three jobs and taking care of Sam? Oh and I was being held back, so I didn't see the point." He said defensively.  
"Why were you being held back?"  
"Because I couldn't keep up with school while playing house since you weren't. I'll get me GED, don't worry about it."  
"Dean-" Mary said, her voice full of sadness.  
"I'm just going to go to bed, good night." Dean stated as he stood.  
"Dean-" Mary tried again.  
"Good night, Bobby."  
"Good night, Dean."  
He trotted up the stairs and found Sam sitting on the top step. Sam looked up at him and Dean gave him a weak smile. He didn't say a word as he passed him and went into his room. He flopped down on his bed and Sam followed him.  
"You sold all your stuff and left school for me?"  
Dean sat up and turned toward his brother.  
"Mhm. It's all I could do, but it still wasn't good enough." He said as he looked down and fidgeted with his shoelaces to get his shoes off.  
"Yes it was."  
"No it wasn't. We still lost the house. And Mom-"  
He could feel the tears coming, so he clenched his jaw and looked out the window.  
"It was to me."  
Dean pulled himself together enough to look at Sam. How on earth was his little brother so mature?  
"You're the only one."  
"Bobby probably thinks so too."  
"You should get some sleep Sammy. We have to get you registered and into a new school tomorrow."  
"Can't I stay home with you?"  
"No, you have to go."  
"Okay." He said in a disappointed tone.  
He watched as Sam went across the hall to his room. He then turned his attention to the closet and all it's contents. He hopped up and decided to go through it as quietly as he could. He found a few books on vampires and started flipping through pages. He evidently lost track of time because Mary was knocking on his door at 6AM and found him on the floor leaning against the wall half asleep with books and various objects surrounding him. She left him there for a bit while she went to wake Sam. When she came back, Dean was slumped over and completely asleep. She got him up, into bed and left him there while she took Sam to school. He slept well into the afternoon and no one bothered him.That was the most, and deepest, sleep Dean had gotten in well over a year. He woke shortly after Sam got home from school to find Sam there and Mary gone.  
"Where's Mom?" He asked in a raspy voice.  
"She left for another trip, but she said this one would be shorter."  
"Of course sh-" he cut himself off so he wouldn't upset Sam.  
"How was school?"  
"Fine."  
"Make any friends?"  
"Not yet." He couldn't look his older brother in the eye and say that he didn't plan on making any so he lied.  
Dean didn't respond, instead he got up and went to the kitchen. Sam followed, grabbing his bag along the way, and sat at the table to get his homework done. After Dean finished his sandwich, he looked over Sam's shoulder to see what he was working on. After trying to figure out the first problem, his brain started to hurt and he walked away shaking his head. Sam got stuck on a problem and, being the stubborn kid that he was, refused to ask for help even though he was getting increasingly more frustrated. Dean tried to help, regardless of his brother's stubbornness, but was unsuccessful due to never really understanding that stuff in the first place. About an hour later Sam got up, excited that he'd figured it out, and asked if Dean would go play catch with him since he was done. Dean agreed and ran to his room to grab the ball. Dean scratched down where they'd be in case Bobby came home before they did. He watched on as his brother, full of joy and excitement and.. life, ran ahead of him. He wished with everything in him that he could be more like Sammy, but knew he never would be. After they got home, they sat on the couch and watched whatever they could find on tv. Bobby came home to find Dean passed out, with a remote in one hand and the other resting in his lap, while Sam was fast asleep with his head resting on Dean's shoulder. He decided not to wake either of them and draped blankets over them. He went into the kitchen cracked open a beer and called Mary.  
"Is something wrong Bobby?" Mary said in an anxious tone.  
"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to check in with you, see if you made anymore progress."  
"I have. I'm closing in on him as we speak."  
"Okay, be careful. The boys need their mom back."  
"Thank you Bobby. I should go now." She said as she hung up.  
"Okay." He said, even though he knew she had hung up before he could answer.  
He looked at the boys again.  
"Why did that demon have to choose you.."


	4. Christmas

Dean hadn't seen Mary in close to a year and now that Sam started high school and he had gotten his GED, he was ready to start hunting himself. He talked Bobby into teaching him the ropes and after he'd been taught the basics, Bobby started teaching him about different creatures. He got a good feel for all of it and decided to join his mom. He finally got a hold of her and was able to arrange a place to meet up at. She wasn't keen on Dean hunting, but knew he was going to do it no matter what, so it might as well be with her that way she could keep an eye on him. After meeting up outside a dive bar, Mary caught him up on the yellow eyed demon. She taught him the signs of demon activity; everything from lightning storms and cattle mutilations, to the leftover smell of sulphur. The pair began criss-crossing the country in the Impala, taking care of whatever case came their way. They returned to Bobby's every now and then to check up on Sam and after five months of hunting they came home for Christmas. Sam was the first to ask how the hunt went and Dean grinned from ear to ear.  
"It went great!" He exclaimed.  
Sam laughed at Dean's enthusiasm, but he could tell his brother was actually genuinely happy for the first time in probably ten years. Sam was curious about what all they'd seen, but when he asked, Mary shushed him. He had mastered the art of hiding his disappointment for the most part and only Dean noticed when his tone changed ever so slightly. After Mary and Bobby had gone to bed, Sam came into Dean's room and asked again.  
"Sam, you know we're not supposed to talk about it."  
"I know but- Nevermind." He said as he turned and began to leave.  
"Dammit. Sam, come back. What do you wanna know?"  
"What was your first case?"  
"A wendigo."  
"What's that?"  
"It's a creature that used to be human but became an immortal evil being after eating human flesh. It can imitate human voices, luring it's victims in so it can trap them and keep them alive for long periods so that it can feed from them."  
"Where are they found?"  
"Usually in the northern Minnesota woods and in the north central areas of Canada."  
"How did you kill it?"  
"We just used a couple molotovs."  
"What was your second case?"  
"Vampires."  
"How do you kill those?"  
"Decapitation is one way, which is the way Mom took care of the coven we encountered."  
"What are the other ways?"  
"Well, dead man's blood is their poison and the sun isn't really their friend, but decapitation is the best method."  
"What was the scariest thing you dealt with?"  
"A werewolf."  
"How come?"  
"Because it went after Mom and it almost got her."  
"How do you kill them?"  
"Silver is toxic to them so I shot it with a silver bullet. Dismemberment is another way you could get rid of it."  
"What was the most exciting one?"  
"Probably the first two cases. The first because it was my first hunt and the second because we took down an entire group of vampires."  
"Do you enjoy it? Hunting I mean?"  
"Yeah, I'm good at it and it helps people so it has to be good, right?"  
Sam looked at his brother for a long moment before replying. He knew it was helping people, but at what cost? There had to be some kind of downside to this, right? Why else would Dean and Mary try to keep him out of it?  
"I'm glad you've found something to make you happy."  
"Do you want to go hunting together sometime. I mean for deer, I don't want you hunting anything like we do on our trips."  
Sam bit his lip, he didn't really want to hunt, but he didn't want to let Dean down.  
"Maybe." He agreed finally.  
Sam decided he should probably get some sleep and said goodnight to his brother as he left the room. 

*Christmas morning*  
Mary didn't have anything to give to her boys. Bobby, however, had gotten Sam a few books and Dean a new tool box to keep in his car. He talked Mary into taking two of the books and the tool box so she could give them something. The boys were more than happy with their mother's 'gifts'. Dean gave Sam his present, which was a giant box. Upon unwrapping it, Dean had unintentionally given Sam a tween girl's bike. Dean, embarrassed, tried to come up with a witty comment but was coming up with nothing. Sam decided to just laugh it off and give out his gifts. He had gotten his mom a locket with a picture of her and John in it, a new baseball hat for Bobby, and he told Dean that he couldn't manage to get him something in time. After everyone went to bed, Sam came out of his room and softly knocked on Dean's door. Dean turned over and sat up to find Sam handing him a small box wrapped in newspaper.   
"What is it?"  
"Open it and find out."  
"You better not have spent money on this or stolen it."  
"What, like my new bike?"  
"Yeah, sorry about that. It was a last minute thing because you deserve Christmas."  
"So do you, now open it."  
Dean quietly got the paper off and removed the lid from the box. Out popped an amulet. Dean looked up at his little brother.  
"Bobby gave it to me when we first got here and I found it with my stuff last night. It's supposed to help protect you and I figured, you could use it more than I could since you're hunting now."  
"Sammy, you shouldn't-"  
"Just take it, Dean."  
Dean stopped talking and put the necklace on.  
"I love it, thank you."  
Sam smiled in response and left the room happy. Dean laid in bed, staring at the ceiling while playing with the amulet, until sleep finally took over.

Mary took off early in the morning the next day, without Dean. He was beyond livid when he found out she was actually gone. She didn't leave a note so he had no idea where she had gone, which also meant he had to wait for her to contact them.


End file.
